Track construction



M. J. DE NIFF TRACK CONSTRUCTION INVENTOR AM g, JELW @MAJJAM W 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WL A INVENTOR v M 7-&LL/7 MLM/QW M J DE NIFF TRACK CONSTRUCTION Original Filed May 9.

. Patented July 21, 1925' UNITED STATES 1,546,778 PATENT OFFICE.

, mcnanr. JXnE mar, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

l TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed May 9', 1924, Serial To all whomit may concern: I

Be it known that I, MICHAEL J. DE 'NIFF, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the'city of Jersey City, State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Track Constructions, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

This invention relates to track construction and has particular reference to safety devices for protecting the moveable tongue of railroad track switches.

Switches are frequently picked or opened by'the train entering the switch, and such switches of the type known as spring split switches, having a thin pointed tongue engaging the stock rail when in set position, are oftendamaged by being set at the wrong time, permitting atrain or car to trail through same and causing the switch blade to be snapped against the stock rail by each pair of wheels passing therethrough with the resultant damage to'the point, such for instance, as bending the point 'and'chipping or breaking ofl' the point or tongue in such manner-as to leave the tongue spaced from the stock rail or presenting a blunted orshouldered end of the tongue to the on-coming wheel flange of a train taking the switch in a proper manner.

" The main object of the invention is the provision of meansfor guarding the switch to prevent accidental movement'of displacement of the tongue or 'moveable rail of the switch by normal movement of the train therethrough. v

The invention also consists in'a provision of meansfor relieving the diverting rail or tongue of the switch of excessive wheel flange wear and by which a thin or worn wheel flange will be prevented from engag ing with or contacting with the point or ortion of the tongue of the switch, which also the point-portion is protected from wheel flange thrust on initial entry of a normal wheel to the curved track.

The invention also consists in providing a guard of the above character which may be used interchangeably on either rail of the running rails or the main line track, regardless of the direction of lead of the Switching track. For instance, the guard may be applied to a switch on the opposite No. 712,015. Renewed May 13, 1925.

rail to that shown in the drawings, in which casethe lead of the switch would be in an opposite direction laterally of the track, or the guard may be applied to the opposite end of the switch in which the lead of the ,informed,'employ some form of. guide, auxiliary railor groovexfor directing and guiding the flange of the wheel.

The present invention aims to protect th tongue of the switch from damaging contact with the wheel flange by providing a guard which acts to center each pair of wheels with respect to the rails, preliminaryto. the

entry of the wheels on to the switching or curved track, so that the wheels are moved laterally on the rails to-fnormal "spaced guage relation with respect to the rails.

The moving of the wheels thus laterally does not take place unless the wheels have through normal lateral shifting moved towards the diverting rail side of the switch,

or have'moved abnormally laterally by reason of flange wear;

The centering of the wheels thus on the rails, "will, if the wheel flange is worn and thin, move the flange to space relation with the free end of the tongue, and in case of a normal wheelfla nge, the guard acts to hold the wheel from thrust against the end portion of the moveable tongue on initial entry of the wheel to the switch.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan 'view of a portion of a railroad track having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the running rails and a switch tongue showing the guard in position to protect the tongue; Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view between the rails looking towards the guard; Fig. 1 is a side elevationalview op- The guard preterably'is formed of a s ingle casting-of caststeel or a forging and" suitably reinforced against wear by manganese steel facing placed at the point of wear or contact with the wheel, and welded or otherwise secured thereto to form an integral member. The guard is indicated in the drawings by the numeral 2, having the main body portion 3. The guard as a whole is here shown as being of a length to span three ties when laced in operative position on the track. owever, I do not limit my invention as to this feature, as the guard may be of any length desired to meet the conditions of the track, or spacing of the ties. The inner face of the body is shaped or formed to fit into the fishing space of the rail similarly as a fish plate or splice bar, and has the vertical face 4, engaging with the side of the rail head, and a groove 5 to fit over the base of the rail, the body portion below the groove extending in to form a base plate 5 to the guard upon which the rail seats, said base extending beyond the base flange of the rail, preferably at points in form of extensions 6 to afford means for attaching the base to the tie at the inner side of the rail, suitable spike holes 8 being provided, preferably two holes for each extending base portion of the guard.

The body portion 3 extends upwardly and terminates in a fiat horizontal face 9 flush with the top of the rail head, and .an upstanding or vertical flange 1O projecting above the rail head. The body and the flange 10 are suitably braced by enlargements or ribs 11 extending from the body and uniting with the base 6 by extensions 12 in alignment with the base extension 6 on the opposite side of the base. The extensions 12 each have holes 13v for spiking the guard. at the outer side of the rail.

In-addition to the spiking means for securin the guard to the ties and rail, the guar is bolted to the rail by bolts 14, pass ing through the web of the rail and through the holes 15 in the body portion 3 of the guard, the location of the 'bplts being preferably midway between the ribs or lugs 11.

A modified form of the guard is shown in Fig. 7 wherein the base of the guard 6" is shown as a flange which extends for the full length of the guard and which is ofi'set from the body and does not form a base or seat for thesupport of the base of the rail as in the former case. In this instance the guard seatson base plates 16 which are disposed, preferably, one at each end of the guard, and each platel6 has a-shoulder 17 against which the lower base flange 6 of the guard abuts. The guard in the modified form being otherwise the same in all respects as to the form shown in Fig. 5. In both forms of the guard here shown the rib or flange 10 is formed with a straight central portion It will be seen that no matter what the condition of the wheel flange, the guard always acts to direct the wheel into the switch without in any way contacting with or exerting a thrust upon the flange of the wheel. In Figures 5 and 7, the wheel flange is shown as being worn or reduced, the dotted line at 11. indicating the normal width of the wheel flange. The guard, by acting on the outer face of the wheel rim not only spaces a worn flange so that it will not pick a switch, but prevents the full flange of a normal wheel from exerting the side thrust upon switch point as the wheel enters the switch. Thus, no matter what the condition of the wheel flange, my invention provides means for protecting the switch point.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A guard for railroad switches comprising a member adapted to be secured to the running track adjacent the entry end of a. switch and having a flange for engaging the wheel from the outside of a rail of the running track.

2. A guard for railroad switches comprising a member connected to the rails of the running track and havin a flange lying outside of said rails at the juncture of the switching rails with said first rails for guiding the wheels into the switch.

3. A guard for railroad switches consisting of a member adapwd to be secured to the running track adJacent the entry end of the switch, having a base portion and a tread portion disposed at the outer side of the track adjacent the switch.

4:. A guard for railroad switches comprising in combination with the running rails, means disposed outside of said rails for limiting lateral movement of the wheels on the rails.

5. A guard for railroad switches comprising in combination with the running rails means disposed outside of said rails for preventing contact of the wheel flange with the point of the switch tongue as the wheel enters the switch.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MICHAEL J. DE NIFF. 

